


Write Me Up

by Wolfcryptic



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/F, caper
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-12 13:52:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9074728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfcryptic/pseuds/Wolfcryptic
Summary: Piper Wright, infamous journalist and acclaimed menace of Diamond City, finds a pre-war relic she affectionately refers to as "Blue" and embarks on a perilous journey to find a kidnapped baby. With the Institute likely at fault, Piper and her relic attempt to uncover their secrets. During this endeavor, they somehow end up acquiring the contract for a red-headed cage fighter, who turns out to be a very effective bodyguard, but also a major pain in the ass.





	1. Looking for Astronauts

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here’s that Cait/Piper (Caper) fic literally no one asked for. I love them both and I believe there's chemistry in the 3 seconds they interact with each other, so I let my gay mind run wild. Piper’s main questline is extended quite a bit, with a lot of roadblocks and (initially) unwanted feelings thrown in the middle. Updates will likely be slow, seemingly non-existent, but they’ll pop up occasionally

_But that's how we like it, and that's all we want_  
_Something to cry for, and something to hunt_

 

 

No one wanted the truth. The truth was ugly and unsettling. The people preferred the lies, the promise of safety. The promise of the solidity of the Wall, their impenetrable fortress. They couldn’t see the cracks, the danger seeping through, the danger sitting right on every doorstep like a starving dog, scratching to get in. Unlike them, Piper refused to ignore the world beyond the Wall. She threw herself into it, looking for answers, wanting –needing- to know what went on while the people of Diamond City tried to pretend everything was fine, that they were untouchable.

People didn’t open their eyes in the beginning. Kidnappings weren’t uncommon. Angry raiders, greedy bounty hunters, power-hungry gunners: any one of them were capable of taking someone away, or killing them where they slept. People only started seeing something was amiss when someone believed to be dead walked back into the city like they’d never been gone. People only started raising eyebrows when serious abrasions brought no blood. People only started to sweat through their shirts when sentences were spoken in a stilted format, and the face of the person they knew was nothing more than a mask stretched over metal. This was when the reality of things settled heavily over Diamond City, and deaf ears finally tuned in to hear Piper’s warnings. The people deserved the truth, but they were not capable of taking it with any ounce of rationality. In order to inform the public, Piper made herself their enemy, because no one liked what she had to say.

The Institute had breached Diamond City. And what made it worse was that this was no longer an overt hostile takeover. The synths bled like any man now; the synths spoke without preamble; the synths had no metal to hide under their face. They were more dangerous than ever, because no one could tell them from a human without putting a bullet in their head. The Institute was no fairytale, wasn’t a ruse to keep people reading. It was real and it was watching.

The citizens of Diamond City were gradually becoming more on edge, acting out in ways that seemed suspicious enough to warrant accusations. Piper tried to encourage people not to fall into a crazed panic, but she knew a lot of them read the first page then abandoned the paper, already biting their nails and loading their guns. She often believed she scared them more than she informed them.

Piper left her office, nodding at her sister as she distributed the freshly printed copies of their latest article of The Synthetic Truth. The Institute was all she seemed to write about lately, but nothing else had really presented itself to the journalist, the Commonwealth seemingly quiet, possibly just as frightened by the hidden menace as everyone in Diamond City. The fear didn’t dull the scorn, though. Mothers glared as Piper passed, and shop owners inched closer to their goods, shielding them from her keen eye. Even the guards watched her, as if her words were a sheathed weapon she could draw at any second to use against them. Idiots.

Piper slid onto a stool at Power Noodles, accepting the bowl she hadn’t even asked for with a murmur of thanks. She laid some caps on the counter and grabbed a fork from the cup placed by her bowl. Her lunch options were definitely limited when she came here, since the damned robot only knew how to make noodles, but they somehow managed to taste different every time. She may have been curious by nature, and a well-established journalist, but even Piper wasn’t daring enough to ask what the robot put in the recipe. Not that it would be able to tell her, anyway; it garbled only one phrase in a language long dead to the Commonwealth.

Piper ate without hurry. The city was close to peaceful today, and she had nothing new to investigate. No kidnappings had occurred this week, and she had already spoken to relatives and acquaintances involved in all previous cases just to come across nothing she could use to aid her in her investigation. Hell, if Nick Valentine couldn’t find any leads, then Piper was surely groping in the dark. He was the best detective the city had, and he was the very product of those he hunted. It was no secret that the Institute was taking people, replacing them with synthetic lookalikes when the kidnapping wasn’t realised soon enough. No one yet knew how the bastards pulled it off, or even why they wanted to infiltrate the city so viciously. Nick was the only one capable of finding an answer and he wasn’t even close.

“Piper.” Speak of the synth. Nick helped himself to a stool next to Piper, smiling. His lips only quirked on one side, in a sort of smirk, but anyone who knew him well enough would be aware of the mechanical failure in part of his face, preventing him from wielding a wide spectrum of expressions. This included a full smile.

“Hey, Nick. What brings you out in the open? Not that I’m complaining, of course. It’s just that you’re in the office so much, it’s no wonder you’re so pale.”

The corner of Nick’s lips that had not even flickered previously arched very slightly- as close to a grin as he could manage. He refused the offer of noodles, not needing to eat at all to stay functional. His golden eyes focused on Piper, their glow almost eerie to anyone not used to them. “I heard of something I thought you might want to look into. I would do it myself, but I’m swamped with cases, and I know you’re looking for some new material now you’ve got half the city in a stir.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Piper said with a chuckle, swirling some noodles around her fork. “What’ve you got for me?”

“You’ve probably heard that the Minutemen have found their legs again, and are actually trying to make some big comeback thinking they can save the Commonwealth.”  
  
“Yeah, ‘cause that went real well the first time. I heard a bit about it, but I haven’t had the chance to really dig in; been pretty busy writing.” Piper found some amusement in comparing what she did to the function of a tick. She definitely got treated no better than one.

“Well, they’ve been boasting about their new general, someone really pushing them along in this attempt to reclaim their glory. Some clients have come from settlements around Sanctuary, where the Minutemen have set up shop, and they passed the news to me."

“So you think the revival of the Minutemen is worth writing about? Might be a nice change of pace to not scare the pants off my readers for once.” Piper pondered the new topic, finding she didn’t mind throwing the citizens of Diamond City a bone now she’s put them all on edge with the stories of the Institute.

“Not only that, but the general is rumoured to be pre-war.”

“A ghoul? The Minutemen never struck me as tolerant.”

Nick shook his head and Piper’s interest was officially piqued. “She’s from a vault, has the getup and all. Those types aren’t usually so battle-ready, but this one came out of the dirt with guns blazing. I think you might find an article about her would be very appealing to the public.” Nick slid off his stool and flashed Piper with his half-smile, his stripped metal fingers touching her shoulder briefly, a sliver of concern in his gaze as he quietly added, “And you might be better off skipping town for a bit. The mayor’s gonna have your head, Piper.”

Piper grinned, not in the least offput by the possibility of pissing off the mayor. She’d lost count of the times the man himself had stormed into her office, red in the face, bellowing about her “fear-mongering” paper, and bad-mannered brat of a sister. It was always an engaging exchange, and perhaps Piper should have met his anger with more than a dismissive wave of her hand, but she was used to extreme reactions at this point in her career.

“The mayor knows where he can stuff it if he has a problem with my article.” Her proud grin was enough to encourage a mechanical chuckle from Nick, and he left her at Power Noodles with a nod.

That man was probably one of Piper’s dearest friends, and he was actually pretty well respected, despite being a synth. He definitely had more approval than Piper. She was glad he still stuck around her, even if it dampened his reputation. Not that Nick cared about that, and Piper liked to think she didn’t either, but it sure would be nice to go outside without at least one person yelling something obscene or disheartening at her.

Nick had a point, though. Piper’s recent publication would probably cause a slight panic, one the mayor would have to quell. He’d pin the blame on her and try to lock her out of the city, or humiliate her publicly with a raging speech again, but it was a tantrum he got tired of throwing. Piper tended to ignore it, but she decided that a small trip out of Diamond City might be the better option this time around.

* * *

“Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m away.” Piper wrapped her arm around Nat’s small shoulders as she holstered her gun, loaded and ready. She carried a large bag on her back, full of food, medical supplies and additional ammunition. She was unsure how long she would be away for, the wasteland too unpredictable, too gripping. Field investigations were delicate and long-lasting, so she hugged her little sister like it might be the last time and left her home early enough to not draw attention to herself.

The guards posted at the city’s exit sent her wary glances, but one friendly face was among them, and he quickly approached Piper before the large metal gate was opened for her.

“Leaving us again, Piper?” he asked. Danny was young, but he did his job well and he handled people with an uncommon kindness. If he was on the gate whenever Piper returned from her time in the Commonwealth, she knew she would have better luck getting back in. Mayor McDonough sometimes liked to try intimidate her by refusing to let her enter the city, but she always charmed her way through in the end. Having Danny to sweet talk helped move the process along a little faster.

“Caught wind of something exciting going on out there. I figure it’s about time I found some new material. The Institute is never one to bore the reader, but I don’t want to just keep piling it on. Changing it up keeps things interesting.”

“Oh yeah? What’s so important that it’s caught the attention of the great Piper Wright?”

His attempt at flattery wasn’t lost on Piper, but she had curtailed similar advances in the past. She replied with the usual schooled friendliness, “The Minutemen. They’re back, reinventing themselves and making a stand against the scum we share our lovely wasteland with. That kind of delusional ambition calls for a thorough investigation, if you ask me.”

“Well, I can’t wait to read about it.” He moved back over to the gate controls and sent Piper a worried look, not quite hidden by his guard helmet. “Stay safe out there.”

Piper nodded, smiling as she stepped out into the streets beyond the city. Danny was probably the only guard that would be happy to see Piper come back; the rest would prefer not to deal with the headache, wouldn’t care if she died in the wasteland. The guards were likely tired of pulling her away from restricted areas, or reprimanding her for baiting angry readers. It was just one thing after another, and even Danny often got dragged into the drama. Either he would let her off with a gentle warning, or overlook what she did entirely. He acted tough when other guards were around, but without them, he was as pliable as clay.

Piper made a note to maybe give Danny a chance. After all, he was one of the few people who seemed to actually care about her. He even read all her published articles, even when he didn’t always believe them. He claimed that he just appreciated her dedication and passion. Sweet guy.

Piper rested her hand on her pistol, now leaving the protected zone outside of the city. Raiders and super mutants liked to camp at the boarders, picking off traders that were too poor to afford a security detail. Piper had left early enough that she probably wouldn’t run into trouble, but if she was sure of one thing about the Commonwealth, it was that it was fickle at the best of times.


	2. Bluebird

_And so here we go bluebird  
Gather your strength and rise up_

 

The journey to Sanctuary was unusually quiet. It was as if the path cleared by the Minutemen was not to be reclaimed, word of their power believable enough to deter even the reckless and daring raiders from challenging them. It looked like they really were cleaning the place up. They may even be more capable than the Brotherhood, eventually. The big brutes made dents in the raider numbers, but their primary concern was always going to be tech recovery. They were hoarders, unwilling to share and only offering aid if it suited their agenda. They often bullied independent farmers for supplies, offering protection as compensation for balding the land. Anyone who refused usually found their hand forced, either with a threat or an actual assault. When they didn’t get what they wanted, they were no better than raiders; they just had bigger and better guns. There was no way of knowing if the Minutemen would become just as misguided as they strengthened their numbers.

Piper spotted the bridge that led to Sanctuary, remembering it from the few times she’d passed through the ruins during previous trips. Although, the houses weren’t occupied then. The bridge actually looked like it had undergone some minor repairs; the wood wasn’t readily collapsing underfoot like it had before, and Piper walked with a little less caution. She wasn’t sure how the Minutemen would handle her arrival, but the rumours claimed they were friendly; a lot more approachable than the Brotherhood, anyway. Piper hadn’t even fully crossed the bridge when she heard a voice calling out. She froze, hand grabbing for her gun out of habit. She scanned the buildings in the distance, then saw what was trying to get her attention.

A Mr. Handy robot hovered around the closest building, waving one of its arms in something like a greeting. She watched it closely, searching for signs of malfunction. Many robots had lost their bolts, systems so fried they identified everything as hostile and attacked on sight. It was all good and dandy when they were clearing out pests, but a run-in with one was never fun. Most were rusted and damaged, unable to chase down targets, but Piper had a few unlucky encounters with fully operational bots that damn near blew her head off.

So, she was careful, gun raised as the Mr. Handy unit got closer. It didn’t seem hostile, muttering in light tones until it was on the bridge with her.

“Hello, there!” it said, strangely upbeat for a robot. “What brings you to Sanctuary, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Oh, well…” She hadn’t really expected it to be so amicable. Deciding it wasn’t a threat, she holstered her gun. “I’m a reporter and I heard the general of the Minutemen was stirring up quite the storm in these parts. If she’s still here, I would love to get an interview, find out a little about her.”

“That is marvellous! Ms. Alex would be thrilled to have an article detailing her fine work, I’m sure! Yes, come, come!” The robot sputtered slightly, shifting around and beckoning Piper along the cracked road, leading her deeper into Sanctuary. As Piper fully crossed the bridge, she heard small clicks from behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, the journalist nearly jumped out of her skin when she spotted what had made the sounds.

Two massive turrets were nestled on either side of the bridge, aiming right at her. Now she was thankful the robot had stopped her before she stepped right into their line of fire.

She nervously followed the robot, spotting more defences along the way. Some explosive traps seemed to have been triggered, scorch marks blackening the road, indicating someone was actually stupid enough to charge blindly into Sanctuary.

The street veered to the right, curling around the houses now reduced to rubble, the beeping of hidden turrets reminding Piper that she was being watched. She could see quite a few people drifting around further down the street, many carrying what looked like building supplies. These folks were lucky that a lot of houses in the area were still standing, so they at the very least had some initial shelter while they rebuilt. That was more than most had.

One of the more intact houses down the street seemed to be where most of the people were gathering, and a uniformed man watched Piper as she approached with the robot. The man tipped his hat and greeted her politely, not something Piper was exactly accustomed to. She nodded back and stopped as she reached the porch of the crowded house.  
A woman stood in front of a workbench, back to Piper. The bright yellow numbers embroidered into her vault jumpsuit were near blinding in daylight, blazing in stark contrast to the dark blue of the suit. Piper could see she was tinkering with a rifle, a man leaning against the wall next to the bench, murmuring to her. He whistled lightly when he saw Piper, turning his gaze back to the working woman with a smirk. “Looks like you got company, Sparky.”

The woman grunted, acknowledging what he said, but did not look to be pausing in her work at all. Piper moved closer, clearing her throat. She was used to being little more than an unwanted irritation, but something in this woman’s demeanour made even Piper reluctant to disrupt her concentration. If she’d survived this long while being fresh from a vault, she likely had some kind of combat training. Piper could only hope that she walked away from this interview with all her bones in the same place.

“Uh, hey there.” The woman didn't react, refusing to take her focus away from her gun. Piper didn't let it discourage her.  “Am I right in assuming that you’re the famous Minutemen general that’s cleaning out the Commonwealth?”  
  
The woman raised a finger, silencing Piper with the sharp motion. Now that she was beside her, Piper could see the woman had a small blowtorch and was running it along the gun, welding what looked like a large scope to the top of it. When the scope was properly fitted, the torch fire died and the woman finally turned to look at Piper.

A disturbingly large scar split her face in half, marring her otherwise smooth skin. It looked recent, still scabbed and struggling to fight off infection. Her eyes were almost as striking as the cut, an emerald green rivaling the vibrant pre-war grass Piper had only seen in paintings. Auburn hair fell just above her shoulders, slicked back by a pair of goggles hugging her head.

“Sorry about that; just didn’t wanna burn myself.” She turned to the man by the bench. “Sturges, you mind finishing this up?”

“No problem.”

She moved out of the way and Sturges took her previous position, hunching over the rifle. The woman faced Piper again, her smile faint but welcoming. “What can I do for you?”  
“It’s more what you can do for me. My name’s Piper Wright, infamous journalist of Diamond City,” she gave a silly tip of her hat, flashing a small grin, “and I got word that not only were the Minutemen coming back, but they were being led by you: a pre-war vaulty who’s not even a ghoul. Now, I’d like to think I’m pretty open-minded, but would you mind explaining how the heck you look the way you do if you’re over 200 years old?”

The woman chuckled and removed the heavily oiled gloves from her hands, then held one out for Piper to shake. It was not a common gesture beyond the Wall, people usually greeting strangers with the barrel of a gun. She took the woman’s hand. Her palm was soft, fingers free from rough edges, nails rounded instead of jagged. “I’m Alex. Didn’t really know I had become a topic for the presses, but I’d be happy to tell you whatever you want to know.”

Piper nodded, following Alex as she perched on a chair near the workbench, gesturing to the one beside it. Piper lowered her pack to the floor and sat down, pulling out her notebook. She hardly noticed the ache in her legs and back from the long hours of travel she’d endured. Once her mind was set on something, nothing else really processed. Her fatigue dulled considerably, mind awakening with questions. There was a story here; that’s all that mattered.

“I think the most pressing question would be how in the world have you survived all this time?”

Alex shrugged. “I’ve been frozen.”

“Frozen.” Piper echoed in disbelief, nearly scribbling over her notepad.

“Yeah, cryogenic stasis, whatever you wanna call it. Instead of giving us a new home, Vault-Tec just shoved us in pods and put us on ice. At some point, I woke up and saw my husband get shot in the pod across from me, my son taken right out of his arms, and I was helpless, trapped, watching as it all happened. They refroze me for I don’t know how long, and I woke up and the bombs had turned this world into the biggest shithole I have ever seen... No offense.”

Alex was blunt, telling her story unflinchingly. She seemed very detached, but Piper’s mind was being progressively blown, unsure of which detail to focus on. It all sounded unreal and highly traumatic. She knew many mothers who would be in hysterics at this point, loading a gun to either aid in their hunt for revenge, or to put in their mouth.

She coaxed gently for more information. “Your son was kidnapped?”

Alex’s steady gaze faltered here, her eyes lowering to her lap for a moment. “All I remember is a bald guy in a leather jacket, maybe someone in a hazmat suit? It was hard to focus with my baby screaming and my husband dying right in front of me.”

Piper hummed, pausing in her note-taking. This may have been a unique occurrence, but one detail was very familiar to her. “If it’s a kidnapping, there’s a chance it was the Institute. I’ve never heard of them taking a baby, though… That’s a new low for them.”

“The Institute?” Alex tested the word, her lips curling up in a snarl of disgust. Piper wasn’t sure why, but that reaction alone made her almost feel sorry for the Institute; they just made this angry mother their enemy.

“They snatch people, sometimes replace them with synthetic spies. These synths look so human, it’s almost impossible to tell them apart from the person they replaced. I’ve been trying to find out how they take people, where they take them and what they do with them. I’m still pretty in the dark about it all, but they’re getting bolder and no one can figure out how they’re pulling it off. People are scared.”

Alex’s jaw slackened, her previously unreadable expression shifting to one of total shock. “This is some sci-fi horror shit,” she mumbled, sounding greatly disturbed. She crossed her arms roughly, pressing her back harder into her chair, leaning slightly away from Piper. The shell had cracked. “Look, Piper, was it? You seem to know a lot about this Institute. If they really are the ones who took my son, how do I get him back?”

“Uh…There is no getting them back… No has ever come back after being taken.” The shattered look on Alex’s face had Piper scrambling to reassure her, since she’d likely gone and ruined the poor widow’s life with her careless honesty. “It might not have even been them! But, hey, I may know someone who can help you! He’s closer than I am to cracking this mystery and I’m sure he’ll take your case,” Piper rambled, hoping to somehow remedy her stupid mistake. She didn’t need to rub Alex’s nose in her own grief, for crying out loud.

Composing herself, Piper scrawled a few quick notes, the stretch of silence giving her a moment to kick her own ass for being a thoughtless jerk. She came here for an interview, not to snub any flicker of hope with a twist of her boot.

“Have you been in Sanctuary this whole time?” A much safer question.

“I haven’t left since I came here with Preston and a few others. Once I escaped my pod in the vault, no one was left. Just skeletons. I wandered around looking for someone, thinking there might be other survivors. You know what I found? Giant cockroaches that wanted to eat me. Did everything after the war just get a hell of a lot bigger with a newly developed taste for human flesh?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Without common sense or a gun, you’re basically a goner.”

“Jesus, you’re telling me. You know, cockroach guts don’t smell that great, or wash out easily. I managed to get out of the vault, went to Concord. I used to hate the people that lived there, but I think I would’ve kissed them if I saw even one of those snobs still alive. I crossed paths with a dog that decided to become my shadow, went to Concord with him and, shit, I finally found people; the first people I saw alive since waking up. I was so relieved. But then they tried to kill me.”

“Let me guess: Raiders.”

“It’s a cute little name for such giant assholes. Preston thought I was one of them, nearly shot my arm off until he saw the dog with me. Next thing I know, I’m invited into his fortress with a couple of terrified civvies begging for my help. How could I say no? They were kind enough not to kill me on sight, after all. I let them shove me into a suit of power armour, took the biggest gun I could find, and fought a giant fucking lizard.” She was animated now, out of her chair, pacing in front of Piper as she relived every terrifying second of her first day in the Commonwealth. She pointed frantically to her face. “Do you think I got this cut from knitting too aggressively? Godzilla nearly ripped my damn face off!”

Piper was astonished, wishing she could write with both hands, as she was struggling to keep up with Alex’s story. There was so much to document. “You fought a deathclaw?” Piper could not believe how formidable this woman was. She had been frozen for two centuries, missed the war, was thrown into a totally new world and one of the first things she encountered was a deathclaw.

“Yeah, that’s what Preston called it. It ripped through my armour like it was butter. I’m still recovering from that attack, but I did manage to kill the big bastard.” Alex reached into her pocket and pulled out a large tooth, about three-inches long. “This was embedded in my armour. A nice memento of when I nearly died saving a bunch of strangers.”

“And we thank our lucky stars for you every day,” Sturges said, still working on the rifle at the bench to Alex’s left. Piper had forgotten he was there.

“You’d better, Sturges. I shoved an overheated minigun into an iguana’s mouth to save your ass. Remember that when you get sick of shining my guns.”

He waved a hand dismissively, but Piper was observant enough to notice the admiring glance he briefly aimed at the woman. “Will do, Sparky.”

The reporter finished writing her last block of text and watched as Alex reclaimed her seat, her posture somewhat more relaxed now.

“So you’ve really only been in the Commonwealth for a few weeks? Recovering from injuries?”

“And building turrets. Lots of turrets. I’m used to military-grade supplies, but Sturges really knows his way around a pile of garbage. He makes use of things I never imagined could be part of a gun,” Alex said, not seeing the way Sturges smiled at her comment as he worked on the gun.

Just when Piper thought she could give her hand a break, her pen flew right back to the notepad, standing ready. “Hold up. You’re a soldier? From an actual pre-war army?”  
“Yeah. I wasn’t exactly general material back in those days, and I left to raise my son before I could pull my head out of my ass and climb rank. I was actually going to become a lawyer, since I sure did love to talk my way out of trouble. Figured I could’ve used those skills on someone else’s behalf.”

“A lawyer wouldn’t be much use out here. I think if someone tried to defend a raider, they’d get shot for being a sympathiser and that’d be called justice.”  
  
“Shit, you guys are just kill kill kill out here. All the things Preston has been telling me… I don’t know how any of you survive, or how I’m going to…” Alex sank in her seat, the weight of the wastes seeming to drag her down, but she fought it, straightened again, determined as she said, “I’m still not exactly sure how things work here, but what I do know is that I’m getting as many guns as I can carry, and I’m going to find my son, wherever he is.”

“Well, Diamond City really would be the best place to start your search.”

Alex didn’t respond right away, looking out over Sanctuary instead. The houses were the main defensive barrier, the neighbourhood itself too far spread to plausibly build a wall around. Things may have been lively now, but without walls protecting their resources, raiders would come. Piper was familiar with the pattern; they waited for communities to grow, then they would strike and take everything, killing anyone in the way.

“I hate to leave these guys out here, but I think I need to go to this Diamond City. If your friend knows anything about my son…”

“There’s a good chance he can pick up a lead, at least. I can take you back with me once you’ve recovered."  
  
Alex shook her head, standing from her chair. Piper pocketed her note book and stood up as well, only just noticing how tall and imposing Alex was. She looked down at Piper, humourless once more. “I don’t see myself getting much better than this. We have spare beds; stay the night and we’ll leave at dawn.”

Piper was eager to get back to Diamond City, now there was a story to print and a child to find, but she knew what this woman had endured, and it was far more than the average person should be able to handle. Piper shoved aside her impatience and placed a hand on Alex’s arm in concern. “You’re sure you’re up for it?”

“Hell yeah.”

 

* * *

 

The pressing heat of the sun caused Piper’s neck to prick with sweat, her hair sticking to her skin unpleasantly. There was nothing but open road, hard under her boots, a killer on her throbbing toes. She really shouldn’t complain, since Alex had kindly taken on the burden of carrying her backpack for her. The vaulty had shouldered her assault rifle, layered herself with ammo bandoliers, and grabbed the bag without a word, tucking a few boxes of food into a side pocket. She was used to carrying heavy loads, she claimed, and she had no clothes or possessions beyond her guns and the vault jumpsuit. The journalist was glad to be free from its weight, but still struggled to match Alex’s unwavering stride. She was clearly still very overwhelmed by everything and she was a mother in mourning. Heat exhaustion was probably the last thing on her mind.

The woman wasn’t even a little breathless from the trek as she spoke of the world she lost. There were stories from other vaulties and the ghouls that had yet to lose their minds, but it was hard to believe a lot of what was told. Vaulties of today only had stories passed down through generations, which could easily be warped. Ghouls, on the other hand, had brain rot, a lot of them descending into madness at random. It was impossible to tell if one had gone feral until it was already trying to kill you. They weren’t exactly the safest source of information, or the most reliable.

Although, Alex wasn’t exactly talking about anything relevant. She seemed very affronted by how big the bugs had become. No, the deathclaws didn’t bother her, nor did the air touched by radiation, slowly poisoning every breathing thing; it was the damn creepy-crawlies that got to her. Radroaches used to be no bigger than a finger and everything was smaller before the clouds of radiation swept over the earth. Dealing with the pests was more a matter of flicking your hand rather than swinging a bat. It was more manageable back then.

“Please don’t tell me the spiders are the size of trucks,” Alex said fretfully, fingers gripping the pistol on her hip. “Piper, I’m hardly hanging on by a thread here; giant spiders is where I draw the line on crazy future world bullshit.”

Piper chuckled. Alex was quite lively for someone who had recently walked out of a fight with a deathclaw with her head almost cut in half. “Easy there, Alex. Spiders aren’t any bigger than your delicate little hands.”

Alex scrunched up her nose, mock-glaring at Piper as she raised her fists, the bulky Pip-boy latched to her arm glinting in the sun. “These hands kick ass.”

“Sure they do…And, hey, just as a warning, don’t be surprised when everyone turns their noses up at you in the city. That jumpsuit makes you a bit of a target for spite. Everyone thinks vaulties are snobs. Most stay holed up and never let anyone from the top move down there with them. They see us as unclean barbarians, too quick to turn to violence. There’s a lot of tension, and people get pretty boiled up when one of you wanders into the city.”

“Being frozen the whole time, I sadly didn’t have the chance to adopt any of these prejudices. Don’t see any stock in them, though, since Preston is such a pristine boy scout, I struggle to imagine him stepping on an ant without regretting it. He was so eager not to make the hard and ugly decisions, he practically threw the general position into my hands when he saw I could hold a gun the right way. How does a man like that survive here?”

“How do any of us? It’s pure luck that we don’t wake up as something’s lunch when we’re out here. I’m even surprised when I find my house hasn’t burnt down every time I go back. I’m not exactly liked much back home; they say I’m too nosy, too eager to cause a panic with my stories of the Institute. I’m just trying to tell it like it is.” Piper had been keen to get back to the city before, but her pace slowed now as she thought about how she was treated, how the people would react to her latest article. It could get ugly.

“Hey, if you try to pretend the threats aren’t there, then you’re practically walking into a mine field with your eyes closed. Sounds like you just want them to open their eyes,” Alex said, matching Piper’s slowing pace to clap a comforting hand on her back.

Piper hadn’t really met anyone who fully approved of what she did. People usually scoffed or rolled their eyes, called her a snoop and never bothered to see things from her angle. She was beginning to realise that the quality of life wasn’t the only thing that deteriorated after the war.

She frowned, pulling off her hat and pushing her hair out of her face. “Yeah, but it hasn’t won me any favours. It’s why I wanted to meet you; I thought writing about something other than the Institute might be a relief for some folks.” She spread out her hands on either side of her face in a presenting motion. “The big hero taking out all the baddies in the Commonwealth. You’ll be a legend when I mention that deathclaw.”

“I’m sure everyone will think you made it up. I still don’t believe a single thing that’s happened to me since I left the vault. Good luck convincing your readers.”

Piper glanced at Alex as they trudged along the cracked remnants of the sleepy highway, once alive with traffic. Now it merely struggled to fight off the stretch of weeds. Most of the road wasn’t even visible, dirt long settled over a large expanse of the remaining tarmac.

“Did you get along with everyone at Sanctuary? You are from a different time, after all. It must’ve been a shock for you.”

“I suppose, yeah. I know I got used to my life of luxury, but before that I was living in trenches, eating paste, and just trying not to get my ass shot off. I know how to rough it, so I managed to adapt. I couldn’t call myself a good soldier if I wasn’t able to adjust to a new situation in a heartbeat. As for getting along with everyone… I did, mostly, but there was one woman I could never seem to please…Marcy Long. Major bitch. I’m almost happy to be gone, since I don’t have to deal with her glaring at me all day.” She sighed lightly. “Ah, but from what you tell me, I’m just going to get the very same glares from all these people in Diamond City once they see this stupid jumpsuit.”

Alex was starting to sound miserable, so Piper weakly attempted to lighten her mood with levity. “Don’t worry, Blue, I think it looks good on you.”

Alex grinned at her then, and Piper wasn’t sure how she was capable of the expression. She’d lost so much and was surrounded by a strange world she had hardly lived a month in, heading to a city where everyone would either ignore her or shun her. Yet, she still smiled.

“You are too kind, Miss Wright.”

_And you’re one of a kind, Blue._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just letting you know that I won't really be regurgitating dialogue much and I deviate from canon quite a bit. If you were hoping for the whole game as it is, but from Piper's perspective, you're gonna be disappointed. I'll try my hardest to keep everyone in character and to make the adventure fun when it's not devastating, but it really might not turn out the way you want it to. And, no, I don't mean any Lexa-tier character deaths; I just mean I am terrible with plots, even when I already have the groundwork laid out for me. Just stick around and see what happens I guess


	3. Tidal Wave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I deviate from canon a LOT. Gotta freshen things up, ya know

_I climbed aboard a tidal wave_

_Bearing down upon the city from the ocean_

 

“Come _on_ , Danny! Don’t let the mayor push you around just because he can’t handle a little scrutiny! He’s sitting on his ass while people go missing, doing _nothing_ and giving Nick hell for actually caring enough to pick up the slack, so _of course_ people are getting suspicious! He doesn’t like being accused of being a synth? Then maybe he needs to, I don’t know, actually do something about kidnappings!”

Piper’s rant was met with silence. She was starting to think that she’d broken the intercom with how many times she’d jabbed it, smacked it, and shot it the most scathing glare she could muster. She really shouldn’t bust up the poor thing even more. It wasn’t the intercom’s fault she was out here. No, this was McDonough’s doing. He must’ve told Danny to keep her outside to teach her a lesson. He really did like to hang Piper out to dry when he got mad enough. Locking her out was one of his common punishments that never usually lasted more than ten minutes. She could talk her way in every time. Although, she’d been arguing with the metal box for a good fifteen minutes now and nothing she said seemed to be working. That was the weird part. She knew she’d have trouble getting back in once McDonough saw her latest publication, but being locked out of the city for this long was a joke, especially when Danny was on the gate. He always let her in no matter what McDonough told him. Always. Something was up.

The intercom crackled as Danny murmured something softly, too quiet for Piper to even hear. Thinking he was being a jerk still, Piper pressed the buzzer that would blare obnoxiously on Danny’s end. She had abused that button a lot in the past, and today she slammed it with a little more ferocity than usual. This was getting ridiculous.  She pressed it in rapid succession, too angry to care if it made things worse.

“Uh, Piper, the mayor is here…” Danny said, his voice barely a whisper. “He’s not exactly happy with you… He’s considering banishing you right now.”

“Oh, that’s _hilarious_! All ‘cause I hurt his feelings? I didn’t know we had a toddler running the damn city, throwing tantrums when someone hurts his feelings.”

“That’s enough, Piper!” The mayor had taken over the intercom, his voice booming through the speaker. “You spread this slander around the city, causing a panic, planting doubt! Now the people don’t even trust their own leader to keep them safe! You’ve pushed me to my absolute limit! You’re a blight on this city!”

“You can’t blame me for their paranoia!” Piper shouted back, fighting the urge to punch the intercom into little pieces. “The Institute is the one taking people! I’m just making sure everyone knows!”

“The Institute!” McDonough scoffed. “That fairytale is all you ever talk about! Almost everyone that can read picks up your ridiculous paper, so yes, it is your fault that they are scared of something that isn’t even a threat to the city!”

Piper released a frustrated noise and was ready to argue back just as fiercely, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned to Alex, unprepared to find a smile on her face. She really seemed to do that at the strangest times. Piper couldn’t even manage to get her breathing under control, but here Alex was remaining calm. She had suffered a long journey, the pack she carried eventually wearing her down. Piper thought the interruption would’ve made her frustrated as well. The desert sun had burnt her skin, the wound slashing her face boiling pink at the edges, the infection viciously settling in. She needed a doctor. She needed water. She didn’t need to be held up because of Piper. She had every right to be angry. But she wasn’t.

Alex stepped beside the journalist and took over at the intercom, leaning close to the speaker. “Excuse me, but is this line-up really necessary? I have important business in Diamond City and I don’t exactly enjoy being audience to this argument. How much longer am I going to have to wait until you open the gate? These goods I have won’t sell themselves, especially out here. Should I go somewhere else?”

“Oh! No, no, my apologies, ma’am!” McDonough stammered, snapping something at Danny over the com. “Trade is a very important function in the city, and I will open the gates for you immediately. I’m sorry for the delay.”

Piper grinned at Alex, nudging her arm. “Way to go, Blue! I think I need you to stick around for a while just to sneak me back into the city whenever I piss the mayor off.”

Alex chuckled, tilting her head back to look at the high walls of the city. The Great Green Jewel was definitely a sight to behold; Piper remembered how in awe she was the first time she ever saw it as a child. It was an oasis nestled amidst the chaos, a place she was glad to call home. It’d be close to perfect if the mayor weren’t a self-serving garbage pit of a man who despised the news and anyone that tried to actually do right by the city.

The gate emitted a roaring screech, opening like the jaws of a great beast. That was the sound of home for Piper. When it closed behind her, no matter what side of it she was on, she felt a sort of contentment. She led two separate lives on each side of the wall and she liked the idea of them forever being closed off to each other. She couldn’t imagine staying cooped up in the city, but she also couldn’t imagine enduring the wasteland on a daily basis. Some folks were never daring enough to leave the city, and Piper couldn’t blame them. It was a violent mess outside the wall, an easy place to get lost in, and to be lost to.

“It’s almost a relief to know that appealing to a person’s greed is still just as effective now as it was back in my day,” Alex remarked, but then stopped and arched her lip in partial disgust. “Ugh, shit, saying that makes me feel old.”

“You _are_ old.”

Alex narrowed her eyes but chose not to respond, instead leading Piper through the opening gates. The mayor stood on the other side with Danny and a few other guards, smiling thinly at the woman, but it shifted to a scowl when he saw Piper trailing behind her.

“I see you weaselled your way in, Piper.” He kept his hard gaze on the reporter for a moment, then turned to Alex, relaxing his features and forcing a pleasant smile. “I apologise if she got you involved in this mess, ma’am. I’m Mayor McDonough and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to our grand city. Stay as long as you like. Your business is quite welcome here.” He eyed Alex’s large pack, not knowing it was Piper’s. The fact she wore a vault jumpsuit was enough to lead him to believe she carried some kind of unique treasure found only in the scattered vaults.

“Considering how poorly you treat your citizens, I don’t see myself staying long.” Alex’s initial cordiality had vanished, her voice totally cold as she strode past the mayor, who stared after her with a baffled expression. Piper didn’t exactly help the situation, as she waved at him enthusiastically, strutting back into the city while he fixed her with his usual glare.

Alex didn’t falter until they were out of the guard stands, entering the city as if she had been there a hundred times before. She’d been right about her adaptability; Piper almost forgot Alex had never even seen a proper civilisation since waking up from her frozen coma.

She stopped walking suddenly, blocking the city entrance as she took it all in. She looked all at once impressed and terrified. The high buildings, the city centre, the great number of people milling about; most newcomers were overwhelmed by the life in Diamond City.

“This… It’s Fenway Park,” she said in wonderment, head swivelling around to observe every inch of the city. “Some things are damn hard to recognise after 200 years of wear and tear, but this old girl held it together. Can’t say I ever expected the stadium to become a city, but I am also looking this fine at 242 so I really shouldn’t be surprised.”

Piper wanted to ask Alex more about this _Fenway Park_ , but she had questioned the woman so much on the way home that she’d run out of pages in her notepad, which was usually an indication to stop taking notes and start writing articles to publish. The printing press might just kick the bucket with the amount she had to print, but hopefully a few love taps would keep the thing running for at least one more load of papers.

She pulled out her notepad and flicked through it quickly, flinching at the messy handwriting and frequent ink blotches. Nat loved reading over her initial notes, laughing at all the silly remarks she’d make and all the abbreviations she’d invented to save space and time. Considering how jumbled it was, Piper thought no one would ever be able to interpret her writing, but Nat was always able to figure it out. She was smart. Had a lot to offer. She deserved more than the life Piper gave her.

Proving her dedication to the news, Nat was standing on a paper box, trying to sell the latest pile of publications to the influx of traders. Guards would’ve tried to silence her at the mayor’s request, but she always ignored them, and the people enjoyed the paper too much to allow it to be taken from them. Not only that, but the guards weren’t exactly keen to arrest a child, which meant she was left alone for the most part.

“Read all about it! Your own mayor doesn’t care about you and is probably a synth working for the Institute!” Nat cried, grinning at a passing guard. She’d deliberately baited him.

He made his way over to her, probably not for the first time that day, and had a rough word with her. Nat nodded, smiled innocently, and stuck her tongue out at the guard once his back was turned. Little brat.

Piper hadn’t told her to say that at all, but the girl got bored repeating the same thing all day, so she would often come up with new ways to appeal to the people. Sometimes she’d draw silly little comics to accompany the paper, mostly for parents to give to their kids to look at while they read. Other times, she would start calling out outrageous events that weren’t even in the paper just to sell a copy to a newcomer that didn’t know Nat Wright was a trickster. Piper tried to discourage it, but when she left the city, Nat had free reign, and apparently she liked to use her freedom to ruffle feathers.

Nat didn’t notice her sister approaching and Piper decided to have a little fun. She grabbed Alex’s arm and pulled her off the main walkway, hopping the small fence cutting off access to the few rows of seats flanking her home. They were now positioned out of Nat’s line of sight, Alex weaving around the seats with a confused look. Piper, without explanation, carefully made her way forward, clearing the seats and stepping onto the porch of her office. Nat was oblivious, still inviting everyone to read the greatest (and only) paper in Diamond City. Piper eased herself behind her sister, unseen.

Piper closed in on her and the girl hissed an angry, “Shit!” when Piper flicked her ear. She stumbled off her box, pulling a blunt shiv from her pocket, twisting around to face Piper.

When she saw her sister, Nat hid the shiv behind her back, as if Piper didn’t know she’d been carrying it for the last month. “What’s the big idea, Pip?!” she hissed. “You wanna lose an eye?!”

“Whoa, whirlwind, please don’t blind me with your pencil. I would really struggle with the paper business if I couldn’t even see what I was writing.”

Nat grunted, tried to glare, but the smile blooming across her face was too hard to contain. She leapt into Piper’s arms, circling her in a warm hug, the tightness with which she squeezed telling Piper she was missed. She may have enjoyed her adventures beyond the wall but coming home was always a relief. A small coil of tension released within her, and she hugged her sister just as tightly.

“Who’s your friend?” Nat asked, letting Piper go and turning to Alex, who had sneakily grabbed one of the papers from Nat’s pile, reading it with a smirk.

“That’s Alex, esteemed general of the Minutemen, and our guest.”

Nat was unimpressed with the title, frowning up at her sister. “She’s not getting my bed.”

Alex folded the paper and nestled it under her arm, joining the sisters in a few smooth steps. “Don’t worry, kiddo. I like sleeping on the floor.”

“Me too!” Nat’s disinterest immediately gave way to excitement and she dropped to her knees, packing the papers into the box she’d been standing on. “I’ll show you my room! It’s kickass!”

“Hey, language, little sis. Don’t make me confiscate that pitiful shiv of yours.”

Nat whipped around, pausing in her sweeping motions to give Piper the most horrified stare, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“You wouldn’t…”

Piper merely raised an eyebrow and Nat finished scooping up the remaining papers and sprinted for the door behind her, fleeing into their home before Piper made her threat a reality.

Alex was watching after her, a look of forlorn on her face. Piper gripped her shoulder, coaxing a firm-lipped smile from the woman and drawing her away from what Piper knew were darkening thoughts. She lost a child and Piper had no doubt in her mind how devastated this poor mother was, but she had yet to truly let it show. Seeing Nat may have triggered something in her.

“You okay?” Piper asked.

“Yeah, sorry, it’s just… kids have to grow up like this? With all the monsters and raiders just over the wall? And my son is out there…”

“I’m sure he’s safe, Blue. Let’s unload and get you to a doctor for that cut. It really needs to be cleaned up.”

Alex looked like she wanted to refuse, but surely she knew overexerting herself while still partially wounded and on the brink of dehydration was a ticket to an early grave. Piper understood her urgency and could relate to the need for answers, but sometimes taking a break was the best thing for an investigation.

When the woman didn’t budge, Piper tried to reassure her. “It won’t take long, I promise. Once you’re patched up I’ll introduce you to Nick.”

Piper opened the office door and Nat rushed past her, nearly knocking her over as she bolted up to Alex. She was holding a pile of her comics and excitedly held them out to the general, boasting about how some of them were really popular with the kids in her class.

Alex snapped out of her doom and gloom state and accepted the comics. She scanned the first page, laughing softly, then stumbled as Nat tugged on her arm. The girl practically dragged her into the office, and Alex didn’t even try to resist.

 

* * *

 

“Nicky! Baby!” Piper greeted flamboyantly, grinning at Ellie, who nearly rolled her eyes into the back of her head in response to Piper’s loud entrance. Ellie was used to Piper bursting into the office at this point. It got old, sure, but the reporter was dedicated to entering as ridiculously as possible every time. All she wanted to do was distract Nick’s assistant from her piles of paperwork for a moment. Sometimes it made her smile. Other times it annoyed her. It was a real hit and miss situation. The times she smiled made it worthwhile, though.

“He’s out, Piper,” Ellie said, then returned her attention back to the file on her desk, skimming over its contents. The poor woman always had a mountain of files to go through; the Institute wasn’t the only villain preying on the citizens of Diamond City, and the cases either too small or too far-fetched for the guard to deal with ended up dumped on Ellie’s desk. Piper didn’t know if the guards were getting lazy, or if McDonough really had just gone corrupt. Or worse.

“So it’s just us, then?” Piper perched on the end of Ellie’s desk, teasing at a smile and quirking an eyebrow. “Even better.”

Ellie faltered slightly, lowering her head, making a poor attempt to stay focused on her work.

“You’re not charming anything out of me, Piper.”

“As tempting as that sounds, I’m actually here to help a friend.”

Ellie looked up from the file then, only just noticing that Piper hadn’t entered the office alone. Alex had been waiting quietly by the door, her presence muted and far less conspicuous compared to the reporter’s. She stepped forward at the mention.

“This lovely lady here is Alex, and she needs Nick to help her find her missing son.”

“She’s not the only one with a missing kid, I’m sad to say. What do you think I’m reading right now?” Ellie helplessly gestured to the file in front of her. “Jack’s gone.”

“Wait, what? You don’t mean Jane’s kid, do you?”

“Yeah, she’s a god forsaken wreck, Piper. Nick’s gonna blow a bolt…”

“I’m sorry, El, I know you’re swamped, and Jack disappearing is… God, I hope Jane’s not at the Inn.”

“Her case is priority number one right now. Unless Nick found something while he’s been gone, we have no solid leads on the others.”

Ellie clasped her hands together, resting them over the file as she smiled tiredly at Alex. “Tell me a little about your son and I’ll make sure Nick checks it out.”

“He’s barely 12 months old.” The subtle tremor in Alex’s voice and the clench of her fists suggested she was struggling to remain collected. She was likely getting tired of sharing this information, being reminded that every second was one second more away from her son, one second closer to losing him to the Commonwealth for good. “His name’s Shaun and he’s…I know he’s still alive. Please, if your agency can help, I’ll find a way to repay you. I’d give anything to find him.”

Ellie was visibly horrified, probably just as shocked as Piper had been when she learnt that someone was heartless enough to take a baby.

A heavy silence fell over the office, but the door opening shattered it. Nick stepped in, his greeting falling flat as he glanced between the three women, processing the situation without being told a thing.

“Another one?”

“A baby this time,” Ellie said weakly. “And Jane came by earlier today. Jack’s gone too.”

Nick approached Ellie’s desk and took the case file she held out, yellow eyes scanning over it rapidly. He stared at the file, a faint whirring sound filtering through the office. It sounded like it was coming from his chest.

“Nicky,” Piper said, sliding off Ellie’s desk and stepping closer to the synth. Her fingers brushed his arm, a small soothing gesture that quieted the whirring. “We only need a lead. Alex and I can handle the rest. Don’t shut down from an overload or something. You’re not doing this alone.”

He lifted his eyes from the file and placed it back on Ellie’s desk.

“What are the details of the incident?”

Alex spoke up. “I was in Vault 111, in cryo stasis. My son Shaun and husband were there too, sharing a pod, but we were unfrozen and my husband’s pod was opened. Whoever unfroze us tried to snatch Shaun right out of his arms, but he resisted and they shot him in the head. I saw the bastard that did it. It was a little fuzzy at first, but I can remember his face now.”

Nick nodded and Ellie scribbled notes down on some loose paper she had on her desk. “Describe him.”

“Bald. Big scar on his face. Enough leather to make a whole new cow out of it.”

Nick walked over to a filing cabinet he had nestled in the far corner of the office, flicking through each file spilling out from the overflowing drawer. “I know a few men who match that description, but I have a hunch it’s one in particular. He had a very distinct gun, tying him to other cases I’ve had. Seems like a job he’d do, too.”

Nick found the file he was searching for, pulling it out and removing a piece of paper from it, holding it up for Alex and Piper to see. It was a rough sketch of a gun, labelled as a .44 calibre, with a name carved into the barrel. _Kellogg_.

“I don’t know about the name, but I’m pretty sure that was the gun he was using.”

“Kellogg is discreet, but .44 calibres aren’t commonly used here. If a .44 bullet is ever recovered and the job is otherwise clean, Kellogg’s a suspect. Trouble is, he’s slippery and vanishes when the heat’s on. He used to have a place here, but it’s abandoned and locked up tighter than Takahashi’s noodle recipe. We need the key if we’re getting into his house to see if there’s anything left that might hint at where he’s gone.”

Piper and Nick exchanged fretful glances, knowing that this was more of a roadblock than a solution. Their concern was blatant enough that Alex picked up on it and she sighed dejectedly, crossing her arms.

“What’s the catch?”

“Mayor McDonough is the only one with access to city property. He has the key,” Nick replied, his metal fingers scratching at a non-existent itch on his fraying neck in discomfort. “He’s not really a fan of mine, and Piper’s in pretty hot water thanks to her latest stunt.”

“Hey, you should’ve seen the look on his face. It was like he cut his tongue then sucked on a bad-tempered lemon. Worth it.”

“I know I didn’t make the best first impression,” Piper snickered at Alex’s understatement, “but there’s no way he’d hinder a search for a lost baby, right?”

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Blue, but as soon as you say the word “kidnapped”, he’ll throw a guard at you and turn tail. He won’t get involved, and he won’t allow an audience with a newcomer either. Our kind mayor was most likely at the gate this morning to tell Danny to keep me out, and, yeah, like you said, you didn’t make the best first impression.” Piper waved her hand, smirking. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, it was hilarious, but I bet you’re on the list of people he wants to exile now, right under the fifty times he wrote my name.”

Piper didn’t like putting more obstacles in Alex’s way and what seemed like a steep incline at first now became more of a towering mountain. Alex had only two people she could rely on in this city for help, and they were both the reason she wouldn’t make any progress in her search. Being hated suddenly became a problem, made Piper realise her honesty really did come with a price. The defeated slump in Alex’s posture didn’t help Piper feel any better and she looked at Nick, praying he had an idea.

“Then what do we do?” Alex asked quietly.

Nick stared at the sketch of the gun for a moment, thinking. Piper knew vaguely of Kellogg, and Nick had been after him for years. This was something she knew Nick would see through, but he had other cases to worry about and she didn’t want to take up all his time if she and Blue could do the leg-work.

“I could call in a few favours, get some high-ups on your side,” Nick said, shoving the drawing back into the cabinet. “McDonough might help you if he thinks it’ll be a good political move.”

Nick was a beautiful genius. Of course, appealing to the public was the answer. No matter how dirty McDonough got, he still served the public, and Piper knew exactly how to get them to listen.

“And I have the notes for a paper that’ll make Blue here real popular with my readers. I’ll make her look sympathetic, and you convince the uppers she’s worth the mayor’s time. We could force his hand, Nick.”

Piper was practically buzzing, incredibly proud that her paper would once again be the thing that made a difference. She could really help Alex, really move things along. Nick wasn’t as visibly excited though, instead pacing his small office with a thoughtful expression. He was more cautious than Piper, preferring to mull over an idea and not leap in head first just because it seemed fool-proof.

“It could work,” he affirmed, “but it’ll take time.”

“I don’t have time.” Alex huffed, frustration clawing at the edge of her voice.

Before Piper could intervene, try cool the general off, Nick’s office door slammed open, startling everyone except Alex, who hardly registered the sound. Her face had quickly become a scowl, and she was the last to face the intruder.

A woman stumbled into the office, her steps unbalanced and slow. Her clouded gaze landed on Nick and she straightened, emitting a relieved cry. “Nick, you’re back!” She hurried to the detective, nearly tripping in the process. Nick gently reached out to steady her.

“Oh, thank God! Please, please tell me you’re about to go get Jack!”

Nick held the woman as she clutched desperately at his coat, tugging on it with weak fists.

“Easy, Jane, easy.” Nick tried to calm the woman down but she was already in tears.

“Please, detective, I have a terrible feeling in my gut. I know something awful happened; if she had just stayed away from that fucking Combat Zone…”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to find her.” Nick wrinkled his nose minutely. “And you shouldn’t be drinking. What if Jack comes home and sees you like this? She’ll be so disappointed.”

“I know, I just…First Michelle and now Jack? Losing one was hard enough.”

Jane had sunk deeper into Nick’s arms and Piper could hardly bear to see what losing someone could do to a person. Jane had been sober for so long, trying hard to be a good example for her daughters, but once Michelle had died, Jack had taken it hard, started misbehaving. Drinking came a little easier.

Piper had interviewed Jane before, thinking maybe the Institute was to blame for Michelle’s disappearance. They were the obvious culprit, had been for the last year. More often than not, it was them. But this was one of those ‘not’ times.

Nick had suspected the Institute as well, at first, but he dug around and discovered that Michelle had a boyfriend that ran with raiders, and she’d left with him. It wasn’t a kidnapping. Jane was furious when Nick told her, but he didn’t drop the case after that, having only found letters and traces of Michelle, not once actually seeing her alive and well. Just to give Jane some peace of mind, and to possibly convince Michelle to go home, Nick set out to meet up with her.

When he found her, he came close to throwing in his hat and walking away from his own agency.

She was dead, reduced to a mangled body, hardly recognisable. Nick didn’t return to tell Jane, trying to find out what happened, hoping it was an accident. He must’ve known better, he had to; raiders were not complicated to understand. They’d sooner shoot someone than take a shower. Violence and murder was their thing. It’s all they were capable of. There’s no way that Michelle’s case would be unique, but Nick wanted to know what led Michelle to her sad fate, anyway. So he went deeper.

The reason she died only pissed him off more, made him feel guilty for not finding her sooner. Apparently, her raider boyfriend had become bored with her and handed her off to his friends, then they got bored too. She was uncooperative and loud, but the gang didn’t want her to go to waste, so she was fed to the dogs. Nick wanted to stay, wanted to take the raiders out himself, but he was only one person and this gang was a big one. All he could do was go back home and tell Jane what became of her daughter.

This case in particular was a sore spot for Nick. Seeing Jane always brought back his guilt, a sense of failure he shouldn’t feel. Piper hated that he blamed himself for Michelle’s death, but if he’d found her when she was still a prisoner, he would’ve been gunned down. He never listened when Piper told him that. It was like his guilt fuelled him. It was tragic, but it was all that kept him going.

Piper never published Michelle’s story in its entirety, knowing Nick had told her the outcome in confidence. He was the only one in Diamond City who trusted her with a secret; everyone else thought she was only loyal to her paper, happily selling people out and unveiling their dark pasts just for the sake of an entertaining story. It was as if they believed she lost her integrity the day she decided to be a reporter.

Alex surprised Piper when she stood by Jane and placed a hand on her back. Last Piper checked, Alex was ready to blow a fuse because of all the delays in her search for Shaun.

“We’re in the same boat, it seems, ma’am. I’m sorry about your daughters. I really am. I know how painful it is.” She spoke with sincerity and Jane responded by turning away from Nick and steadying herself by grabbing Alex’s arm.

“You lost yours, too?”

Alex nodded and Jane immediately enveloped her in a hug. The general didn’t even flinch, accepting the embrace. Two grieving forces just collided and Piper somehow felt the splashback. It was a terrible situation, but they must have found some level of comfort in understanding each other, because, for the briefest second, Piper thought she saw Jane smile up at Alex when she withdrew from her arms.

“We’ll help you look for your daughter,” Alex said and Nick’s head snapped towards the general.

“Really? Do you have any detective experience?” Jane asked.

“She’s got the next best thing: the biggest snoop in all of Diamond City.” Piper gestured to herself grandly. “Me.”

Seeing the doubt on Jane’s face, Ellie quickly added, “Piper’s helped Nick on a lot of cases, Jane. She’s a great partner and just as capable as the old bucket of bolts, no matter what she says. You can trust her with this, honey.”

“Okay…Okay. Thank you. All of you. I know the Combat Zone is full of raiders and it’s dangerous but… just please bring Jack home safe. She’s all I have left.”

“You’ll see her soon,” Ellie replied, sounding so certain that even Piper almost believed her.

Jane managed a smile and a weak goodbye before she left the office, a little more stable on her feet now. Hope gave her that steadiness and Piper found herself admiring the positivity Nick spread throughout the city. Many doubted his loyalties, but the good he did was irrefutable.

“You two really want to help find Jack? What about your kid?” Ellie questioned lightly, watching Alex as she collapsed into the chair in front of the assistant’s desk without replying.

She was wiped out and Piper automatically reached into her coat pocket. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, offering them to Alex, not even sure if she smoked.

The woman stared at the pack with absolute longing, tugging out a cigarette and roughly flicking the lighter. She took a drag and as she exhaled, those 210 years seemed to leave with the smoke. She sank into the chair.

“Listen,” she said around the cigarette, taking one more puff before tweaking it between her fingers, “I’m not about to say my kid takes priority over someone else’s, but I’m also not going to sit idly by and wait for you to come back, detective- _if_ you come back. I’ve run a lot of rescue operations during my time in service, so, without tooting my own horn, I know what I’m doing. Piper and I will go, and you can stay here and get me that meeting. Deal?”

Wisps of smoke drifted between Alex and Nick, but the glow of Nick’s eyes remained just as bright. He gazed at the general, the metal tendons in his neck flexing. Piper knew that meant he was clenching his jaw.

“Deal,” Ellie said, earning a partial glare from Nick. She shrugged in response. “What? I’d rather you deal with snobs in the upper stands than go to the Combat Zone with these two.”

“Getting shot sounds more appealing than trying to hold a conversation with one of the uppers,” he grumbled sourly.

“Stop being so dramatic.” Ellie stood from her chair, reaching across her desk, holding out a hand to Alex. “We’ll have a meeting set up for you by the time you get back. You have the Valentine Promise.”

“Dang! That one’s binding, Blue. Take her hand before Nick cuts in.” Piper was only making the frown on Nick’s face deeper, but she knew Ellie was staging the offer. This was her way of coaxing Nick into accepting the help himself. He was built stubborn, overworked and underpaid, yet tried to always do everything alone. He didn’t like to burden others with his dangerous investigations, thinking only his life should be risked. He didn’t value himself enough.

For a second, Piper didn’t think he’d take the bait this time, but the flexing in his neck stopped and he shook his head.

“Okay, I’ll take the help.”

Ellie lowered her hand and sat back down, looking very proud of herself. She had turned persuasion into an art form.

Nick cleared his throat. Piper knew this was hard for him. “You’re doing me a huge favour and I’ll owe you more than a meeting if you bring Jane’s girl home.”

Nick shook Alex’s hand, a concrete agreement. When metal met flesh, not even marriage compared to the commitment that was promised in a mere handshake with Nick Valentine. He wasn’t just promising his time and effort; he was promising to put his life on the line, to do whatever it took to get the job done. The Valentine Promise.

Ellie held out Jane’s case file and Piper took it. The reporter could already tell the few scraps of paper that made up the file wouldn’t come close to describing the size of the shitstorm she was about to walk into.    


	4. Woodland

_All the scrapes on our knees_

_Will tell you where we’ve been_

_Where we have bled_

 

Telling a story was easy. But finding a story worth telling? Not so much.  Journalism was challenging, ultimately rewarding, but sometimes Piper thought the things that happened to her on the job were a little too ridiculous. It didn’t come as a surprise when most investigations formed paths that led her to answers she didn’t like, or situations most journalists wouldn’t consider normal in their line of work. Like when she tried to discover who was taking people, not even her wildest guess came close to the reality that was the Institute.  There was an answer she was haunted by every day. In addition to that, when she wanted a simple interview with the Minutemen general, she couldn’t have known that she’d become the general’s tag-along on a hunt for a stolen pre-war baby. And that very hunt somehow brought her to one of the most dangerous places in the Commonwealth. She may have liked some excitement, but this? This bordered on maniacal recklessness.

Piper had never ventured deep enough into the city ruins to reach the Combat Zone, but she’d heard the stories, and none of them truly captured to the absolute bloodbath that claimed every surrounding district. If it wasn’t raiders, it was super mutants, and if not them, then it was ghouls. And right in the middle? Piper and Blue: two walking targets.

A whole box of ammo was empty by the time they actually reached the Combat Zone. Piper had never had to duck, curse, and shoot in such rapid succession before. Alex, on the other hand, revelled in the chaos, her rifle turning everything that moved into Swiss cheese. Even with her combat experience, Piper had trouble believing they made it to the Zone, not only alive, but without any major injuries.

The Combat Zone was a massive building, smoking raiders leaning on its edges, taking a break from whatever went on inside. It was usually easy to tell a raider from a traveller; they had a distinct look about them. Blood-stained clothes, badly damaged armour and weapons, messily painted faces, possibly a tattoo of affiliation. There was just an air of aggression and murderous intent that screamed _raider_. That lot always made the hair on Piper’s neck stand on end, so she kept a tight grip on her pistol as they drew closer.

The shadowy men and women watched them pass. Some whistled, others made lude comments, but none approached. Their eyes merely followed the two women as they made their way to the entrance of the building.  

Piper stepped closer to Alex, hand finding the crease of the woman’s elbow. Her eagerness was ebbing and a sense of dread was creeping into the pit of her stomach. This wasn’t exactly what she had expected, but her curiosity kept her feet moving and the click of Alex’s gun as she reloaded kept her reassured. They were doing this for Nick. For Jane. A girl was missing and the Zone was likely the last place she’d been. They had to do this.

It was louder inside. A huge crowd had the building nearly bursting at the seams, rambunctious shouts and roaring cheers filling the smoky air as Piper and Alex ventured deeper into the heart of the chaos. So many raiders were coexisting here, but it was not a peaceful gathering. Everyone had come to watch one of the brawls this place was so famous for. The Combat Zone was named as such for a reason. It was a place to celebrate violence, a place brimming with rage and smoke and chems. Everyone was drunk or high or angry and the cluster of bodies made Piper’s grip on Alex tighten that much more. This wasn’t just neutral ground. This was an arena.

“Easy, Piper,” Alex said, too calm for this situation. She had a frightening way of just tuning everything out. Here she stood, up to the teeth in wretchedness, smiling at Piper like not a thing was wrong. She really was from a different world.

“I’m okay,” Piper replied, loosening her hold. She had to be brave; raiders could practically smell fear.

Not that it mattered, since everyone was fixated on the cage stationed at the back of the building. The layout of the seating and platforms may have been the skeleton of an old theatre. Rows upon rows of chairs nearly wrapped around the centre stage, but most of the crowd had abandoned them, trying to be as close to the cage as possible. Alex attempted to move closer, manoeuvring through the crowd, ignoring the scathing glares the raiders shot her when she so much as brushed their arm.

They eventually had a clear view of the fight and Piper stopped, staring at the bloody combatants in horror.

A sinewy woman faced a mountain of a man at least twice her size in build. He was close to the size of a super mutant and the woman regarded him like he was nothing more than a child. All bravado. At first glance, it seemed like a fixed match, one the small woman in the cage was bound to lose. The fact she’d survived this long must’ve been some kind of miracle; one punch from the man in that cage would likely turn Piper’s bones to dust.

The two circled each other, gazes locked, faces set in a near-snarl, like a couple of wild dogs ready to fight for their territory. The man launched forward, the first to break the circle, but the woman was ready, throwing out her fist with lightning speed. Her fist connected with the man’s cheek, hard enough to jerk his head to the side and steer him in that direction. He stumbled for a second, but quickly rounded on the woman, spitting blood at her.

“What? Losing to a girl that easily?” the woman taunted loudly, her accent thickly Irish.

If her plan had been to coax him into another aimless charge, then it worked. She ducked under a massive tree trunk of an arm as it swung at her, laughing and delivering a hefty punch to the man’s stomach. He wheezed, swearing as more blood spilled from between his teeth.

He swung again and this time landed a hit. Right to her nose.  Blood trickled down over her lip and she wiped it on her arm, the grin she’d worn dropping from her face. Something about that shift in expression sent a shiver running down Piper’s spine.

“Now you’ve done it,” she growled, her leg rounding on the man’s knee with that same shocking speed. He lost his balance, and as he fell, the woman’s fist connected with his jaw in an upswing. He hit the ground heavily, grunting.

Before he could even try to rise again, the woman kicked him in the head. Her boots were steel-capped. Each kick was heavy, loud, the man becoming more indistinguishable by the second.

His grunting was muffled by the cheers of the raiders, most of them calling out for the woman to finish him. They erupted when she gave one final stomp, the man now left to drown in a pool of his own blood.

This woman was violence and fury personified. She flexed, placed a foot on the fallen man and shouted in triumph, riling up the crowd even more. Some raiders were unhappy that she had won, booing viciously, throwing their bottles at the cage.

“And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen!” A voice boomed out through the speakers set up around the cage.

Piper turned and noticed a ghoul in a suit standing on a small stage, a microphone in front of him. He gestured to the victorious woman with a grin. “Cait has taken down the Boulder! You doubters out there gotta deal with emptier pockets now; shoulda stayed loyal to our leading lady!” The ghoul chuckled when some of the raiders booed again, but they were immediately drowned out by cheers and applause.

“That is one ugly motherfucker,” Alex said, staring at the ghoul. They’d encountered a few on their way here, but she had yet to meet one that wasn’t feral.

Piper laughed at the look on Alex’s face and called out over the shouts of the crowd, “Some ghouls are friendly, just regular folks that got messed up by the radiation. Try not to stare; they don’t like that.”

Alex shook her head, probably adding friendly zombies to her catalogue of ‘fucked up future bullshit’, and turned away from the cage, a brief flash of disgust crossing her face. Piper wasn’t exactly comfortable here, but she knew Alex was just trying to seem adjusted. Poor woman must’ve been sick to her stomach.

With a limp gesture, she said, “I’m gonna go ask around. Looks like we’ll have a lot of fun trying to avoid getting stabbed, so… be careful.”

Piper nodded, glancing back at the cage in time to see the woman the ghoul had addressed as Cait leaving the arena. The reporter didn’t know what compelled her forward, but she completely ignored Alex’s warning and decided to intercept the most dangerous person in the entire building. She hadn’t planned on cutting her off, so when Cait paused, Piper found herself a little lost for words.

Cait’s hair was as red as the blood speckling her face and she watched Piper with a severe gaze, her eyes briefly sweeping down the reporter’s figure. Piper couldn’t tell if it was inquisitive or appreciative. Either way, it made her skin crawl.

“What do ya want?” she asked bluntly.

Piper half-expected to be ignored, and even though she was kind of terrified of this woman, she slapped on the most charming smile she could muster, and kindly said, “If it’s not too much trouble, I have a couple questions I’d like to ask you. I sure hope I don’t have to beat you in a fight to earn a moment of your time.”

The woman was silent, still staring down at Piper severely. The reporter’s spine was so rigid, it felt close to snapping in half, but her whole body relaxed when Cait’s lips split into a grin. “You’re obviously not from around here, are ya, darlin’?”  The redhead chuckled, reaching out to lightly tug at the collar of Piper’s coat. “Too clean. Tourist, I’m guessin’.”

“You caught me.” Piper threw up her hands, a weak smile on her face. “I promise not to keep you for long; I see your fans are dying to speak to you.”

Cait’s eyes drifted over to the small group that had been outraged by her victory, now glaring at her. They’d likely lost a good deal of caps betting on the muscular man that was currently being dragged out of the cage.

Cait moved back to the small set of stairs she’d just descended and picked up a metal bat that had been leaning against them. “I’ve got an autograph right here for ‘em.”

“I’d hate to see your idea of a photoshoot, then.”

Cait’s expression settled into a scowl as she faced Piper again. “Okay, you were cute at first, but now you’re gettin’ on my nerves. Ask your bloody questions and get lost.”

Cait brushed past Piper, heading over to the bar in long strides.

Piper watched her for a moment, realised that her gaze was inching down Cait’s back, and quickly followed the other woman to the bar. Cait was already sitting on one of the stools by the time Piper reached her.

“I’m looking for someone,” Piper said as she took the stool at Cait’s side, pulling out her notebook. “A girl from Diamond City, shaved head, name’s Jack. Her mom said she came here a lot and, since she never came home, she’s worried something happened. You know her?”

“Can’t say I do. Boss might; he’s usually the one keeping tabs on the runts, making sure they don’t get too drunk and start a fight outside the cage.”

“Ya know,” Piper murmured, head turning to observe the crowd of raiders, “this place is surprisingly under control considering its…patrons.”

Cait grunted. “All raiders want is caps, sex, and a stiff drink at the end of the day. Just like anyone else, right? They don’t wanna fuck up a good thing.”

Piper scribbled down some notes, suddenly realising the opportunity she’d been given. She came here just wanting to help Nick find a missing child, but she was standing amongst raiders, actually speaking to one and none had tried to shoot her yet. An article about spending time with raiders on neutral ground and living to write about it… Now there’s a story.

“How long have you been fighting for?” Piper asked, pen at the ready.

“A few years.”

The bartender handed the woman a bottle of beer without being asked. It was clear she spent a lot of time here, maybe even lived here. The building was large enough to house a great number of people.

“That ghoul said your name was Cait? I’m Piper.”

The woman hummed, somewhat dismissive, but not overly hostile. Piper was a little intrigued. Compared to other raiders, Cait was actually approachable, almost conversational. Her nose was still bloody, her body tense. Her arms were lined with scars, her knuckles bruised. She looked like she was born with her fists clenched, ready to fight. She was intimidating, but Piper didn’t feel afraid in this moment. It wasn’t clear why.

“So, you’ve won every fight? Not a single loss?”

“If I lost any of the fights, darlin’, I’d be dead. I’m not ready to kick the bucket yet, so I’ll just have to keep swingin’.”

“Dang, the stakes are crazy high then, huh? You ever thought about taking your talent elsewhere?”

Piper noticed Cait’s brow dip, the grip on her bottle tightening. She was growing frustrated. Being fresh from a fight, with a possible broken nose, Piper suspected Cait wasn’t eager for a chat, or a lengthy interrogation. Piper just got so caught up in her line of questioning sometimes that she often overstepped her boundaries. This proved to be one of those times.

“What, is your job bein’ nosy or somethin’?”

“And beating the shit out of people for a living is better?”

“A lot better.” Cait drank her beer, clearly no longer interested in humouring Piper. She’d been surprisingly amicable for the most part and it was something Piper eagerly mentioned in the notes she was taking. The yells around her faded into indistinguishable white noise. She was so distracted by her writing that she hadn’t even realised Alex was nowhere to be seen.

She flipped to a new page, struggling to capture this moment in words while she was still part of it. Cait didn’t seem to care about what she was doing, sipping her drink in silence. The bartender was shooting her strange looks, as if the sight of them together was unusual. Maybe Cait preferred to drink alone after a fight; everyone else at the bar was giving the woman a lot of space.

Piper mentioned it briefly in her notes, thoughts running wildly, but her concentration was soon shattered. As Piper breathed in, an offensive stench assaulted her and she stopped writing, words trailing off in a scribble.

Someone shoved her back roughly and a grubby hand reached over her shoulder and snatched her pen away.

She turned on her stool, hand sweeping back her coat to reveal her gun. The sight of it did nothing to deter the raider who had just taken her pen, however. He smirked, waving it around, drawing words in the air, teasing her.

If there was one thing Piper hated, it was being interrupted while she was writing.

The raider tucked the pen into his pants, nestled behind his belt.

“Come get it,” he said.

“No, I’m good, thanks.” Piper turned back around, slipping a spare pen from a small holster she’d strapped to her glove; she wouldn’t be a very good journalist if she didn’t hoard pens like her life depended on it.

The raider was less than thrilled by her dismissal and grabbed her arm. He yanked her off the stool and brought her hand to his stomach, trying to force it into his pants.

She reached for her gun.

A fist connected with his jaw.

He relinquished his grip immediately and Piper watched on in shock as Cait threw herself at the raider, swinging at him again, this time hitting him in the eye. She was still holding her beer, throwing punches with her free hand.

When the raider finally moved to retaliate, Cait swigged the rest of her beer, then smashed the bottle over his head, sending him to the ground.

“Eat shite, you wanker!” She kicked him, stumbled and slammed into another raider. She was drunk. She must’ve tipped back a barrel of booze before she even started the cage fight.

The situation snowballed.

Alex fought her way through the crowd, rifle at the ready. She hadn’t fired it yet, but when a woman tried to break a chair over Piper’s head, Alex took a shot. The woman’s body dropped, so did the chair, but everyone else took out their weapons and the entire building was overcome with gunfire.

Piper took cover behind the bar, Alex and Cait getting lost in the mess.

Bullets rained.

Piper peeked over the top of the bar, shot one raider, then ducked back down. This insanity was more along the lines of what she had been anticipating before she had arrived. The Combat Zone wasn’t truly a safe haven; it was an unpinned grenade, set to blow at any moment. And it chose to blow today of all days. Just her luck.

Piper popped her head above the bar again, startling when a bottle of whiskey shattered next to her head. She fired her gun again, returning to cover shortly after. She couldn’t shoot blindly. She didn’t want to accidentally hit Alex.

A raider tried to take cover behind the bar, but Piper smashed the butt of her gun over his head and he fell limp at her feet. He was not alone in seeking refuge and Piper found herself defending her position  as well as poorly attempting to cover Alex the few times she managed to spot her in the crowd. If she’d thought the Combat Zone was loud before, it was now deafening. Her ears were ringing and the gun smoke made her throat itch.

With the limitless supply of bottles, someone had eventually fashioned a molotov cocktail and Piper looked over the bar in time to see it flying towards her. She rolled over the bar top, shot the raider that had thrown the bottle, and ducked between the toppled stools as the molotov exploded behind her, the other bottles of booze igniting it further, the fire shooting out above her in an angry orange cloud.

“Shit,” she hissed, the brightness of the fire blinding her. She blinked away the licks of white in her vision and finally saw that the area around her was pretty much clear. A few raiders dragged themselves out of the building, but the rest had fallen, shot dead or beaten bloody.

Alex waved at Piper from across the room, slinging her gun over her shoulder.

“You alright?” she called out.

“I’m fine. How about you?”

Before Alex answered, something slammed nearby and Cait appeared again. She was banged up, covered in blood, eyes wild. The ghoul that had been on stage earlier followed her.

“So, I have you to thank for this disaster?” the ghoul snapped, glancing at all the corpses, the blood splatters, the broken glass. He looked far from grateful.

“I can’t take all the credit,” Alex replied, nodding at Cait with a grin.

“Oh, so you tried to pin the blame all on her? You were part of it, Cait? You fucking...” he trailed off, glaring between Cait and Alex. “I’m the owner of this place. Name’s Tommy.”

Tommy frowned, decaying skin slackening around his mouth as he shifted his glare to Piper. “You do-gooders just put me out of business, so I hope you had a damn good reason for coming here. Neither of you seem to be the type that would enjoy the entertainment.”

Alex, who had been disturbed by the ghoul’s appearance earlier, looked at Tommy without so much as a grimace and said, “Kid named Jack came here a lot, and she recently went missing. We’re trying to find her.”

“Jack? Seriously? That brat was always causing shit. She’s a big mouth so you may be in luck; I might know where she scurried off to.” The ghoul shoved his hands into his suit pockets and smirked at Alex. “But information costs.”

The woman shrugged. “I have nothing.”

“That suits me just fine, lady; I don’t want caps. I want you to take over a contract. Seems like it’s become more of a burden to me than anything else.”

Alex raised an eyebrow, actually considering his offer. “What’s the contract for?”

Tommy jerked his thumb behind him, gesturing to Cait. “Her.”

“What?!” Cait snarled, looking ready to pummel the ghoul into a pulp of rotting skin.

The ghoul ignored her. “My little bird would be an asset.”

“Don’t fuckin’ call me that,” Cait snapped. Tommy might’ve been the bravest person in the Commonwealth to speak to Cait like that.

Tommy continued to ignore her. “She can fight. She can run her mouth. Perfect bodyguard if you ask me. Take her contract, get her out of my sight, and I’ll tell you whatever you wanna know about the brat.”

Cait crossed her arms, clearly displeased. “Don’t I get a say in this?”

The ghoul shook his head and stepped to the side, motioning for Alex to follow him into what might be his office. He had probably been bunkered down there during the onslaught.  

Piper stayed put, scanning the piles of bodies, feeling almost sorry for them. Messing with Alex was a mistake. She seemed to leave bodies behind more than footprints and Piper was relieved that such a destructive force was on her side. She definitely wouldn’t want to piss the general off.

Cait grunted, kicking some of the dead men. She mustn’t have been happy that her boss was trying to get rid of her, so Piper didn’t say anything, just in case she upset her more. After all, it was partially her fault the fight started. If she’d just waited to write her notes until they’d left, none of this would’ve happened. Her need to help Nick had convinced her that coming here would be worth the risk, but she felt like they’d taken a step back instead of forward. A lot of people died, for one thing, and Cait might be out of a job because she defended Piper.

Cait may have realised the same thing, because she stopped kicking the bodies and turned on the reporter. Piper stiffened, finger hovering over the trigger of her gun as Cait stalked towards her. It was a pointless precaution, though. Cait could obviously fight; she’d survived the whole onslaught with nothing but a baseball bat.

She was smirking at Piper, unfazed by the blood painting her, unwavering in her smooth stride. She was more dangerous than the raiders. Maybe more dangerous than Alex.

Piper flinched when Cait raised her arm, wishing she hadn’t let her get so close. She was stupid, too mesmerised by this woman born right in the middle of the pit of violence. She was going to die for a story she never got to write. This was exactly how she saw herself going, but it still caught her off guard. She still felt too young, too unaccomplished. There was so much left to do.

When Piper stopped trying to come to terms with her premature death, she noticed that Cait hadn’t actually done anything to her. She was just standing in front of her, hand outstretched.

It took Piper a second to realise Cait was trying to give her something, and when she looked down to see what she was offering, Piper couldn’t help but laugh.

Cait was holding her pen.


	5. Animal Life

 

_Cast away like dogs from the shelter_

_I shed the dulling armor plates_

_That once collected radiance_

 

With her pen reclaimed, Piper murmured her thanks with a touch of embarrassment. She’d convinced herself that Cait was going to assault her and add her to the piles of bodies littering the building. Her imagination really had a way of running wild when given free rein and she felt ridiculous. In a weak attempt to ignore Cait’s inquisitive stare, Piper flipped through her notebook. She’d never had the chance to finish her outline of her short-lived interview with Cait, so she took this opportunity to quickly scribble down the remaining details, hoping to vanquish any lingering thoughts of Cait’s hands around her neck.

Piper could see Cait lean closer to her, probably trying to take a peek at what she was writing and the reporter quickly pocketed her notebook. She looked at Cait, still feeling nervous and uneasy as the redhead continued to observe her closely, a glimmer of a smirk on her lips.

“You handled yourself well, darlin’. Didn’t think you’d have it in ya.”

“Well, I’m full of surprises.” Piper removed her hat, running the back of her hand across her brow. A gunfight could really work up a sweat. Cait had been in the thick of the battle and from what Piper had seen, she was an unstoppable force; unafraid and ruthless. Although, on closer inspection, Piper saw the way she shifted her feet, eyes on Tommy’s office door. Whatever was going on in there put her on edge.

Piper tried to lighten her mood. “Hey, thanks for the save, by the way. You didn’t have to do that.”

Cait shrugged. “That bastard owed me caps. He had it comin’.”

Tommy’s office door opened and Cait’s loosened body grew rigid again, her arms folding tightly across her chest. Piper watched as Tommy and Alex exited his office. The ghoul was frowning harshly at Cait, who matched his pissed expression.

“You really gonna sell me out, Tommy?” she snapped. “I should’ve known you’d turn on me in the end.”

Tommy rolled his eyes, untouched by Cait’s cutting words. “You’re such a pain in the ass, Cait. You’ll thank me for this one day, you’ll see.”

“Oh, sure, I’ll thank you with the fat end of my boot.”

“Listen, this fine lady here is your boss now.” He gestured to Alex, who looked at Piper like she was going to throw up. She probably needed more time to get used to the appearance of ghouls. “You’re not welcome here anymore, so beat it.”

Tommy was flippant, turning his back on Cait without another word. Piper watched closely, and saw the flash of hurt cross the woman’s face. This was starting to look like more than a simple trade of services. This seemed personal.

Cait stood in the same spot for only a moment before storming off through a nearby door. Piper heard a series of slams and the sound of something shattering, all accompanied by loud cursing.

Piper looked back to Alex and asked, “Did he tell you where Jack was?”

“A place called Hardware Town.”

“You’ve gotta be bloody jokin’!” Cait had reappeared with a shotgun and a small duffel bag hanging from her shoulder, face set in a firm scowl. “Fuckin’ Hardware Town? Tommy’s sendin’ me to my death with the pair of you!”

Alex didn’t respond, keeping her eyes on Cait as the redhead returned to the bar, grabbed her bat, smashed a bottle with it, and glanced back at them.

“Well, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

Alex’s demeanour hadn’t changed much since she walked out of the office with Tommy, who Piper could hear ranting about the mess somewhere out of sight. She walked between Alex and Cait, trying to figure out what her friend was thinking. This situation felt off. Wrong.

It was only when they left the building that Alex took a breath, then turned to Cait. “Look,” she started to say, faltering with apparent discomfort, “I still don’t fully know what just happened in there, but I am in no way accepting this. The fact…slavery, or whatever the fuck you wanna call it, is so widespread here… makes me goddamn sick. I’m not deciding what you do, Cait. If you wanna come with us, that’s fine, we could probably use the extra muscle, but if not, you’re free to go. Fuck the contract and fuck Tommy. Do what you like.”

Cait stared at Alex like she’d just turned into a ghoul.

 “You’re just givin’ me my freedom? No questions asked? You don’t want anythin’?”

“No.”

“Now I know you’re playin’ me. Everyone wants somethin’. Nothin’ comes free. What’s the cost of this?”

Alex stared at Cait in bafflement. “There’s no cost? It’s like I told Tommy, we only came to search for a missing kid. I’m not about to take on a slave.”

“I’m not a slave. Tommy wasn’t keepin’ me against my will or anythin’. Nothin’ like that. I just had nowhere else to go and he needed someone to entertain the raiders.”

“And what if you didn’t feel like _entertaining_? What happened then?”

“One of the big guys stuck me with psycho and threw me in the cage anyway.” Cait spoke without any ounce of distain, unfazed by the abuse. It was then that Piper noticed the jungle of injection scars dotting the woman’s arms. She must’ve been jabbed daily. Whether it was self-inflicted or forced upon her was unknown, but was disturbing regardless. “Just part of the job.”

“That’s still not right.” Piper cut in, cringing at the idea of being forcefully drugged. “You should be thanking Blue. She got you out. You have your life back, so why are you arguing with her instead?”

“Because you just took away the only thing that got me fed! What am I meant to do now, wise-arse? You two just cost me my home.”

Alex paused here, eyebrows drawing in thought. She really did care about people just for the sake of it. Maybe someone like her really could make a difference in the Commonwealth. Piper hoped so, at least. She was glad to remove Cait from her ball and chain, but putting her on the streets wasn’t much of a solution. It was a lot harder to survive out here without any help. Piper knew that from experience.

Alex snapped her fingers when an idea came to mind. “You can go to Sanctuary. I helped clear it out and it’s under Minutemen control. You tell them the general sent you and you’ll be welcomed. There’s food, shelter, and no fucking raiders.”

Cait didn’t seemed particularly thrilled with this suggestion. “The Minutemen? I thought you lot got slaughtered. Shite, and you expect me to believe you’re the general?” Cait sneered, a mocking chuckle escaping her lips. “I’m not going to Sanctuary on your word. You take me there yourself.”

“Then get in line. I have a kid to find.”

Alex started walking at a brisker pace, probably just as eager to leave the Combat Zone as Piper was, but Cait cut her off. The redhead wasn’t as tall as Alex, but she was certainly built more solidly. Certainly just as intimidating. Maybe even more so.

“No problem there, darlin’,” she said, the corner of her lips arching into a smirk. Her hand found her hip, shifting her stance. She was more welcoming now, impish, almost. “I know exactly where Hardware Town is, and I can promise you’re gonna want me there with you. I can take you, if you come with me to Sanctuary when you’re done runnin’ around playin’ detective.”

Alex turned around helplessly. “Piper?”

“I’ve heard of Hardware Town, Blue. People have at least survived the Combat Zone, but this place? I’ve never known anyone who came back from there.”

“Perfect.” Alex turned back to Cait, shoulders slumping. “Fine, I’ll take you. Let’s just go kick some ass and get it done.”

“Now you’re speakin’ my language.” Cait clapped Alex on the back in a good-natured manner, but the impact caused the general to wince.

Piper offered a much softer touch, brushing Alex’s arm as they both watched Cait walk deeper into the decrepit city, humming to herself and swinging her bat around in circles, ready to face whatever came next. Piper wasn’t sure if she should be scared of this woman, or impressed. And when Alex shared a glance with her, the reporter knew she was thinking the same thing.

With only slight hesitation, the two followed after Cait. They had to find Jack and see this investigation through to the end, no matter where it led. That was the mark of a good reporter.

From what Piper could remember, Hardware Town wasn’t too far from Diamond City. Raiders had claimed a large chunk of the ruins south of the city and Hardware Town functioned somewhat as a base of operations. The city’s defences were heavier along the south roads because of this, but no one was daring enough to go beyond the guard posts anyway. Piper couldn’t believe Jack had been so close. She had practically been right under their noses. Although, it wasn’t like the city’s guards would’ve lifted a finger to help rescue her, even if they knew her location. Mayor McDonough wouldn’t allow them to get involved in affairs beyond the Wall, which was just his excuse to avoid addressing the kidnappings.

Piper had managed to publish another article before she left, one about Alex and her sad tale. She hoped that it had the desired effect and put the public on her side. If the city demanded McDonough assist in this case, there was no way he could deny them without risking a recall. He may not have cared about the missing people, but he surely cared enough about his position to meet the citizens’ demands to some degree.

The three women had been moving in silence for quite a while now, but Cait soon slowed her pace, allowing Piper and Alex to walk on either side of her. She glanced between the two and then focused back ahead. Smoke was in the distance, wafting from various locations above the tall, broken buildings.

“Listen, I know a couple of the raiders around here, so I might be able to convince ‘em to let me in. You two sit tight ‘cause you stick out like a Brahmin on fire; you’re easy targets.”

“You want us to just hide and wait for you?” Piper asked incredulously.  Alex didn’t seem bothered by the plan, probably wanting a break after the day she’d had.

“If you’d prefer to charge in blindly, I’ll gladly use you as a human shield, darlin’.”

“No, I think I’m content with the number of holes in my body right now, thanks.”

Cait snorted, unleashing a hearty laugh. She looked far less intimidating with a smile on her face and Piper found herself chuckling along with the other woman. She thought she even heard Alex join in for a moment.

The copious amounts of debris made for easy cover as the group approached Hardware Town. Cait made sure to stay in front, guiding Piper and Alex through the rubble, avoiding old land mines, sniffing wild dogs, and roaming ferals. Even Piper didn’t have this kind of familiarity with the city ruins. She never liked to travel through the deserted areas, since that’s usually where the ambushes happened, but Cait navigated her way through it like it was a second home.

They stopped at a half-crushed car and crouched behind it with the towering warehouse that was Hardware Town just a block down the road.

“Alright, no matter what you hear, don’t move from this spot,” Cait said, checking the area. When she found it was clear, she strode out from behind the car and onto the open road.

Alex settled on the ground, bringing her rifle around into her lap to scan it for any damage. The woman seemed relaxed, which was sort of astounding considering the day they’d had. It was only bordering on sunset and they’d already used up almost half of Piper’s supply of ammo. It took her weeks to get through that much on her own. Alex was definitely trigger-happy.

As Cait’s heavy steps faded, her voice bellowed out a greeting somewhere further down the street. There was no immediate gunfire, so the raiders at the very least recognised her. That had to be a good sign. Unless this was all a ploy to get Piper and Alex killed, then… not so good. Maybe putting their trust in a woman they’d just gotten fired wasn’t the wisest choice, but Alex was unworried, so Piper tried not to let her mind wander too much.

It was unusually quiet for some time. Right up until something slammed and a blood-curdling scream shook the streets. Alex was on her feet immediately, peering through the shattered windows of the car they’d been hiding behind. Piper mimicked her position, looking to where the scream had come from.

The doors to Hardware Town had been flung open and a woman covered in blood was limping down the road. “Help me!” she cried, dragging her leg behind her. “Please, they’ll kill me!” She stumbled over a ridge in the cracked road. She fell to her knees, now crawling. No one had come out after her.

Piper turned to ask Alex if they should do something, but the general was already rounding the car, sprinting towards the wounded woman. Piper knew it was foolish but part of her admired Alex for running to those in need without even a second thought. She had never met anyone more selfless.

Alex was helping the woman to her feet by the time Piper reached them.

“Minor abrasions, no breaks, maybe a sprain. You’ll be okay, ma’am. We’ll get you to safety.”

“No, wait, please, we can’t leave.” The woman scrambled back, suddenly a little more stable on her feet. “My sister,” she said, gesturing back to the building entrance. “They took her, too. I can’t go without her.”

“We’ll help you get her out,” Alex said, guiding the woman to the car they’d been using as cover. “Is there anything you can tell us about what’s inside? Head count? Defences? Layout?”

The woman shook her head. “I just ran when I was left alone. I didn’t see anyone on the way out. I don’t know where they put my sister.”

“Just stay out of sight while we deal with this.”

“Thank you,” the woman said, cupping Alex’s hands. She was wearing gloves, but Piper could’ve sworn she saw the hint of a tattoo trailing up the woman’s wrist.

Alex nodded, moving back around the car and taking cover behind a dumpster pushed into the middle of the street. Piper had a bad feeling about this, but followed the general anyway. The entrance to Hardware Town was clear, as if the raiders hadn’t noticed their prisoner had escaped. Piper wasn’t sure if Cait had something to do with it or not, but she kept her wits about her as they stepped into the building.

Metal shelves stacked with junk lined the entire building. Old washers, fans, and undisguisable scraps of metal packed each shelf, making it impossible to see beyond the single aisle Piper and Alex currently trailed down. There weren’t many places to hide, and Piper started to think that was the idea.

They moved silently, listening for any sort of shift. The entire floor seemed to be abandoned. Piper picked up the pace, eyes catching a small pouch of pens on one of the shelves. She could never have too many pens, so she eagerly snatched them up. She hoped she could find some ink for the press, or maybe even something for Nat. Her sister liked pulling things apart and replacing smaller components in an attempt to repair them. She favoured clocks and radios and Piper scanned the shelves, not seeing anything but scrap metal.

She whipped around when she heard something clatter to the ground and found Alex sprawled out on the floor behind her. The woman they’d helped was next to her, holding a rock.

Piper didn’t even have a chance to raise her gun as the woman smashed the rock over her head.

 

* * *

 

Piper couldn’t remember the last time she had woken up with such a throbbing migraine. Her head pulsed, each pang delivering a wave of pain through her skull, travelling right down to her stomach. She wanted to puke. She groaned, reaching to delicately test the area that seemed to be the source of the pain. She flinched as her finger brushed the bump, drawing her hand back and finding blood.

“Well, look who’s finally awake.”

Piper’s head snapped up, and it was only then that she noticed the bars in front of her. She was in a cage. It was small and cramped, not meant to fit anything bigger than a dog. She was in some sort of underground cavern, lit by scattered lanterns. She could make out the few cages positioned along the dirt wall next to hers, and a poorly constructed wooden ramp leading to an upper level, likely the main floor.

The cage directly next to her held Alex, who was still unconscious. Further down was another occupied cage. It was propped a little awkwardly, as if it were on its side, and Piper squinted in the dark, trying to make out the features of the person.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Piper? You’re usually smart enough not to get caught.”

Piper gasped, clutching the bars of her cage excitedly. She recognised that voice. “Jack? Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me. How’d they get you?”

“We came here looking for you, actually.”

“We? You’re with the fuckhead moron in this cage here?” She jabbed a finger at Alex, a taunting smirk on her face. “This idiot woke up a while ago and insulted one of the guards. Got beat right back to sleep.”

“I guess she doesn’t take well to confinement.”

“You’re lucky I’m here, Piper. I didn’t expect you to turn up, but I had a plan to get out and I guess you’re included in that now.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Kill them all.”

“And?”

“That’s it.”

Piper shouldn’t have expected anything less from a teenager.

“How did you end up here, Jack? Your mom’s worried sick.”

Jack’s scowl softened somewhat, her body sagging back into her cage. “I chose to come here.”

“Why?”

“Because these are the bastards that killed Shelly! Her old boyfriend is here. They all deserve to die. I came here and told them I wanted to join them. They thought I was a joke and threw me in here. They’ll regret not killing me straight away.” Jack didn’t seem afraid, seemed certain that she’d get her revenge. Piper remembered when she was just a child, crying over scraped knees and stolen toys. Michelle was her elder sister, always watching out for her. She’d babysit Nat while Piper was away, happy to earn a few extra caps for her family. Their father wasn’t anywhere in the picture, so Jane had the struggle of raising two daughters on her own. She’d be so hurt to hear Jack speak this way.

“We’ll get you out of here, kid.” Alex’s voice was low, startling Piper. She hadn’t realised she’d regained consciousness.

“Thanks but no thanks. I can handle this alone.”

Alex scoffed. “Doesn’t really look like it.”

“Fuck off.”

Piper rolled her eyes as Alex tried to reason with Jack, but talking sense into a teenager was nearly impossible. She was likely used to a softer sort of child from her time. In the Commonwealth, kids over ten already knew how to shoot a gun; most hardened at an early age.

Piper inspected the lock on her cage, disheartened when she found it rusted. Picking a lock from this angle would be hard enough, but the rust added an extra level of difficulty. She pulled a bobby pin from her hair, annoyed that her cap was gone. It must’ve fallen off when she was dragged here. She loved that hat. The bastards had even taken her pens, but thankfully not her notebook. She had a thin wire she kept in its spine to accompany her bobby pin.

As the bickering continued, Piper concentrated on picking the lock.

She didn’t get very far.

A gun fired and she jumped, dropping her tools. A raider stormed into the cave, coming down the ramp, boots thumping against the rickety wood.

“Can you shut the fuck up?!” he roared, shooting again in Jack’s direction. The bullet hit the bar of her cage and she didn’t even react. She glared coldly at the raider.

“Nice to see you again, Bret.”

“What the fuck? No one calls me…Oh, shit.” He grinned, walking over to Jack’s cage, crouching down in front of it. “Jaclyn? You look fucked. Going bald was a bad choice.”

“Your friends shaved my head.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t scalp you, you brat. They said they had a little runt asking to join us. That you?”

“Yeah, I’m good with a gun. Let me show you.” She made a grab for his pistol and Bret quickly held it out of reach, laughing as she flailed her arms out of the cage. He was actually small for a raider, a little scrawny. He had tattoos covering his arms and his hair was covered by a cap. Piper squinted in the dark and then her eyes widened. He wasn’t wearing just any cap. That filth was wearing _Piper’s_ cap.

“You’re definitely funnier than I remember.”

“And you’re uglier than I remember.”

“Michelle didn’t think so.”

“Don’t you _dare_ say her name.”

“Oh, sore spot, huh? She talked about you a lot, ya know? I got real sick of hearing about you. She begged me to let her go back to you and your mom, so I smashed her teeth in.”

Jack spat at him, nabbed him right in the eye. He stumbled back, wiping his face with a disgusted grunt. He pointed his gun at her.

“Say hi to your sister for me.”

A shot fired, but it wasn’t Jack that fell. Bret collapsed to the ground, screaming, his leg nearly blown off.

“Cait, what the fuck?!” he shrieked, uselessly reaching for his fallen gun. Cait, shotgun in hand, leisurely walked over to him and stomped on his fingers. She kicked his gun away and he shouted out in protest, shrivelling up on the ground like a dead spider once she freed his hand from beneath her boot.

“You ran out of booze.”

“Are you fucking serious?!” he screamed into the dirt, cradling his broken fingers uselessly.

Cait pulled a ring of keys from Bret’s pocket and approached Piper’s cage. She was covered in blood for the second time that day, the same wild look in her eye. She opened the cage door and Piper thanked her, dusting off her coat as she stood, relieved to be able to stretch her legs out. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been passed out for.

“Looks like I saved you again, darlin’.” Cait lightly placed Piper’s cap back on her head. The reporter hadn’t even seen her grab it, but adjusted it gratefully, careful to avoid the bump on her head. She’d have to remember to wash her hat thoroughly once she was back home.

“You sure took your sweet time,” Alex grumbled as Cait unlocked her cage. She practically clawed her way out.

“I bloody told you to stay where you were. This is what happens when you don’t listen.” Cait shrugged, unintimidated by Alex’s answering glare. Her attention was on Jack’s cage. “Is this the brat you were lookin’ for?”

“Get fucked,” Jack snapped. “I don’t need your help. I was gonna get out of here on my own.”

Cait ignored her and unlocked the cage, dragging Jack out.

Bret moaned from his place on the ground and Jack snatched Cait’s shotgun from her hand and pointed it at him. Piper and Alex froze, but Cait looked bored, folding her arms across her chest.

“Go on,” she said. “Do it.”

Jack’s hands shook. She looked at the man on the ground with absolute hatred. Her finger teased the trigger.

She lowered the gun.

Cait took it from her. “You’re a coward.” She aimed the gun at Bret’s head and fired. The sound made Piper’s headache leap then slam back down into the base of her skull like a pile of bricks. Her ears were ringing and she reached to stroke her temple.

Bret was now headless, bleeding into the dirt. Jack stared at his corpse, white as a sheet.

Piper walked over to her, trying to move slowly so as not to startle her. She wrapped an arm around Jack’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

Jack didn’t budge for a second, then shoved away from Piper, stepping back and slipping in Bret’s blood. She caught herself on the cavern wall, glaring down at the man that still taunted her, even in death.

“I’m not going back. There were other fucks involved in Shelly’s death. I need to find them all.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed, Jack!” Piper protested.

“I don’t care! Shelly deserved-”

Jack was cut short by Cait. The redhead punched her, right in the nose. The girl fell back against the wall, crying out. Cait held her in place by grabbing her dirty shirt collar.

“You listen to me, you little shite. You have a chance to not be stupid, to go home. Be glad you even have one. Don’t fuckin’ waste your life on revenge. Believe me. It ain’t worth it. If it were up to me, I’d just leave you here to rot, but these two softies want to take you home.” Cait clenched Jack’s shirt tighter, bringing the girl to her toes. “Let them.”

Jack glared up at Cait, clutching onto her bloodied nose. Piper couldn’t believe what she was seeing, because Jack actually bowed her head and nodded faintly in compliance. She saw a few tears drip down the girl’s cheek and Cait let her go, turning away with a lip arched in disgust.

Cait may have been brutal and unkind in her approach, but she had just saved Jack’s life, and all she had to do was punch her in the face. She was definitely something else.


End file.
